


Walls Of Darkness

by orphan_account



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fear, Gore, Twisted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-08-06 14:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16389158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Deceit wants to play a twisted game of revenge and torment with the good sides, all to get back at Virgil. They will all pay dearly for his betrayal...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna get dark, guys. Fair warning. Deceit is going to be playing with some powerful psychological fears, and the sides will see some disturbing things. Discretion is advised.

There were Dark sides and Light sides. That was how it had been ever since Thomas was born. They stayed in their place at the mind palace and did not interfere or interact with the opposite sides. So how had one small emo side somehow broken these laws and shaken everything up? The once dark Anxiety had been accepted with the light sides out of seemingly nowhere, while the others were left there alone and unloved? Deceit did not care for that at all.  
Of course, angry as he was, he wasn't surprised by any stretch of the imagination - pathetic little Anxiety was always a cowardly creature, hiding himself in the shadows for fear of everything, clinging to anyone who would give him a scrap of reassurance and comfort - his dependence had come in useful in the past, honestly. But this? This jumping ship as soon as he found something better, shedding his darkness like a hoodie that didn't fit anymore? This couldn't be allowed. Deceit was just going to have to put the bratty little emo back in his place, and teach the light sides a lesson about meddling in the darkness...  
And what better way than with fear? He had big plans for these sides - they just didn't know it yet! But first, he had to lure Virgil away from them. And what better way to get Virgil than acting like his dear sweet dad? Of course, he'd have to do it at night when all the others were asleep. But that wouldn't be a problem. After all, snakes are active whenever they please...  
He slipped out of his room silently in the middle of the night, slithering through the mind palace to Virgil's room. It had changed slightly since last Deceit had been in there, little-stolen knickknacks and gifts from the light sides scattered around to break up the darkness, but it was mostly the same. It didn't take long to find precious little Anxiety, guided by the nightlight Patton had left on for him. The once-dark side still slept all curled up in a ball, shielding himself even in slumber. His head rested on a stuffed toy that was far too cute to belong in such a room, and his headphones laid nearby, still half on his head from where he'd nodded off while listening to an audiobook...  
Now Roman may be the dramatic one, but since they were all part of Thomas, Deceit could pull off an act or two - as he'd proved in the past! He grinned slyly, waving a gloved hand across his body and watching the dark clothes and cloak melt into a light blue polo shirt and white trousers. And of course, the outfit wouldn't be complete without his signature cat hoodie. The disguised dark side quickly checked his reflection in the barely visible full-length mirror. It was perfect. All he needed was a little fake blood across the hand to finish the look. Now on with the show...  
He leaned across the anxious side and shook him awake.  
" V-Virgil, please help kiddo! I couldn't sleep so I was making a glass of milk, but I dropped the glass and now it's all over the kitchen floor and in my hand!"  
Virgil blinked sleepily for a few seconds, his mind slowly switching back on, but he jolted to life when he saw the 'blood'!  
"Oh god, Patton! I-It's ok, let's go to the kitchen where there's better lighting and we can take a proper look at it, ok?"  
'Patton' nodded and started to walk away whilst Virgil quickly caught up, playing with his hoodie as an anxious reflex. As they were walking, Virgil spoke up.  
"So why didn't you go to Logan or Roman, dad? They know more about this than I do. God knows the number of times Roman's had to be patched up after a quest... Plus they have a tendency to be calmer than me."  
"Honestly, kiddo? You were the first person to come into my head, I just thought of you!" Patton was laughably easy to impersonate, his genuine sincerity made for easy lies that would rarely be questioned...  
Virgil seemed to perk a little at this!  
"Oh, well thanks, dad!"  
"Awww, it's sweet that you thank me for how my mind works, even though that's not in my control!" The fake Patton giggled cheerfully...  
They crept through the mindscape, avoiding the creaky floorboards until they finally reached the kitchen. Virgil squinted a bit at first, having still not fully adjusted to the lack of light.   
"So where did you drop this glass dad?" He asked as he fumbled for the light switch.  
"Just turn the light on, you'll see it..." The snake grinned as he de-transformed in the darkness...  
Virgil finally found the light switch and scanned the floor, blinking slightly in the sudden bright light.   
" I still don't see it?" He questioned, spinning round to be faced with... oh shit.  
The last thing he saw was Deceit moving behind him, terrifyingly fast, and pinching a spot on his neck... Then everything plunged into darkness. Unable to fight the terror, he let out a deafening scream as he slipped unconscious, praying the other sides would hear it and come running... He had no idea that that was exactly what Deceit wanted...


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Virgil woke up, he was in a tiny, dark space. He could tell by the cold air that he was outside, and sticking his hands out in front of him revealed that he was being walled in by... Hedges? Ok, this was new, even for Deceit...  
He tried to sit up and immediately winced. His head was still throbbing from whatever that asshole snake injected him with... Taking it slower this time, he strained into a sitting position and gazed around. Where was he?  
All he could deduce was that he was probably in someone's garden, so that had to explain the hedges and being outside...  
But why would Deceit bring him and the others... Wait.  
Virgil looked around, his breath catching in his throat. The other sides weren't here. Oh god. He was alone. Oh shit. He could feel the start of a panic attack come on, but he didn't know how to stop it.  
He couldn't remember the breathing exercises he usually did, he couldn't think of anything except fear and the crushing loneliness and the horrible creeping guilt over wishing that the others were here in this nightmare with him...  
Little did he know that back at the mindscape, the light sides were panicking as well. When they woke up and found out their little emo nightmare had disappeared, they had started searching high and low!  
The change that had come over the sides was almost eerie; Logan was quiet and slightly tearful, Roman was completely unable to make jokes or smile, and Patton was frightening, coldly efficient, showing barely any emotion as he focused on nothing but finding his little boy.  
"I found something!!!" Logan yelled a little too loudly as he investigated the kitchen...  
The others rushed into the kitchen at full speed.   
"What is it, Logan?" Roman asked, far too quickly.  
Logan only looked more worried as he held up Virgil's oversized headphones in one hand, and a few snake scales in the other - it wasn't hard to work out who had taken him...  
"That son of a bitch!"   
Eyes fell on Patton.  
"Patton? D-did you just swear?"  
Patton somehow looked angry and sheepish at the same time.  
"Nobody hurts my dark strange son."  
"Agreed... I'm going to stab that slippery snake myself like I should have done a long time ago..." Roman growled, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his sword...  
"We should search his room." Logan piped up. "We have no idea where he could have taken him but his room might give us some answers."  
"Good idea, Lo..." The others nodded and ran off to the dark side's room...  
Deceits room was very fitting for the slimy snake. It had serval heat lamps, yellow and black walls, plus scales scattered around the room.  
"Ok guys, search the room for anything that might lead us to Virgil!" Demanded Roman.  
The other sides set to work, digging through everything in the room in a desperate attempt to find any kind of clue.  
After about half an hour, Patton piped up.  
" Hey, I found something!"   
" What is it, Padre?"   
" It seems to be a map?"  
Logan carefully took it and examined it closely.  
"...It's almost certainly a trap. Deceit doesn't use maps, so we were meant to find it. He wants us to walk straight into our own cage... And the worst part is, he knows we have no choice if we want to find Virgil..."  
"We need to go!" Blurted out Patton. "We can't just leave him!"  
No-one was arguing with that! And so it was that the sides left, following the map despite knowing perfectly well what they'd find at the end... Virgil, yes, but also danger...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever!!! Thanks for being so patient with us, I really hope this chapter is worth the wait!

Finally, after a long walk that led deep, deep into Thomas' subconscious mind, the sides arrived at the destination marked on the map and braced themselves for a fight... They were not expecting hedges to suddenly wall them in!   
Roman drew his sword and immediately started trying to cut through them. It soon became clear, though, that these hedges could not be cut...  
But just as he put his sword away, a gap opened up in one of the hedge walls, and Virgil tumbled through the hole looking dazed, cold, and utterly terrified...  
He flinched away as soon as he saw them, and glared at them.  
"Stop it Deceit! They're not real!"  
"VIRGIL!!!!" The sides all cried in unison, pulling him into a tight hug!  
"Of course we're real, kiddo! We've been so worried since we heard you scream! Did Deceit hurt you?!" Patton fussed.  
Virgil blinked at him slowly.  
"Y-you haven't disappeared yet. You are real?"  
"Of course we are... Oh Virgil, what has Deceit done to you?" Logan asked cautiously, a shocking amount of pain lacing his voice.  
He shook his head hard, bangs waving around rapidly.  
"It doesn't matter. As cliche as it sounds, all that matters is that you guys are here now."  
"We most certainly are, my frightened friend, and we shall fight this battle together!" Roman swore determinedly, trying not to let his own nerves show.  
"Aww, well isn't this a lovely little family scene?" A silky voice cooed from the shadows. The sides all leapt up, scanning the hedges trying to work out where it came from.  
"Show yourself, you damn coward!!!!!!" Roman and Logan yelled in perfect unison as they tried to spot the slippery snake, all of them subtly shielding Virgil as they did so. What they didn't yet know was that they couldn't protect him in here...  
"Now why would I do that? The fun's only just beginning, and the only way out is to complete the maze!"  
"...Maze?" For the first time, the sides took in the winding paths that the hedges had created, the sharp angles and high walls... Of COURSE it was a maze.  
"Good luck..." Deceit murmured, then silence.  
A rustling noise filled the space and two hedges split apart, revealing a seemingly empty field...  
"...This isn't going to be as easy as it looks, is it?" Virgil whispered softly.  
"Absolutely not, this is a trap if ever I saw one..." Roman murmured, Logan nodding in concurrence.  
"Nevertheless, it seems to be the only way through the maze, and Deceit did say that we had to escape the maze to win. It looks like we need to go this way."  
They stepped though the hole and a booming voice suddenly blared, making Virgil flinch and grab Patton.  
"ROOM ONE"  
Patton startled almost imperceptibly at the loud noise, but pulled his son closer and focused on him. The side embodying fear would need to be looked after most in here, and it had to be him that did the looking after! The four stood side by side, waiting to see what horrors they'd face...  
The room seemed to twist and turn around them, until it suddenly stopped changing. The sides glanced around at... A fun house? At least that's how it seemed to look. Everything was the opposite of what it should be, and random things kept appearing that shouldn't exist. Patton, momentarily forgetting the situation they were in, let out a squeal of glee and ran towards a horse sized cat.  
Roman laughed delightedly at the strange monster-like creatures who stole his sword and chased him around with no malice, more like playful puppies!  
Even Virgil was having a good time, staring admiringly at two black birds whose feathers seemed to ripple in shades of purple and blue. In fact, there was only one side who wasn't having a good time...  
Logan was covering his ears against the cacophony of noise that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, eyes squinted mostly shut to limit how much of this nonsense he had to see at one time. Trees were growing with their roots up and the leaves buried in the soil, the sky had turned bright yellow with a smiling blue sun, and houses appeared to have no walls, the roofs held up by an invisible force that he couldn't even try to figure out right now - it was probably magic or something equally unrealistic! He couldn't take this for very long...  
It was just illogical! It went against everything he was!  
Patton, who was having a great time, looked over to Logan to ask him something... But that quickly disappeared when he saw Logan. He quickly dismounted the cat and ran over to him.  
"Logan? What's wrong?"  
"Patton, this place doesn't make SENSE, there's no order or logic or anything! It's like if Wonderland finally took what few rules it actually had and threw them out the proverbial window, and it... It hurts..." Logan's voice was trailing off quietly by the end of his little rant, as the noise and brightness and insanity grew ever more oppressive...  
Patton quickly pressed his opposite into his chest and covered his ears, effectively cutting off anything Logan might see or hear, and called the others over.   
"Guys, come quick! We need to get out of here!"  
"Why, what's going on?! Is there danger?!" Roman and Virgil came sprinting straight over when they heard the alarm in the usually-bubbly side's voice. They were even more shocked when they spotted Logan!  
"Specs? Are... Are you hurt?" Roman asked cautiously...  
Logan couldn't reply for fear of being overwhelmed, so he just buried further into Patton and let him explain.   
"Nothing in this place follows rules or logic and it's not what Logan is used to. It's everything he's not." Patton explained.  
Virgil cursed softly, guilt hitting him as he realised he hadn't even considered this happening...  
"Ok, the exit isn't far from here, we can make it within a few minutes if we're quick..."  
Roman nodded and scooped Logan up without thinking twice, despite his noise of protest.  
"It's ok Specs, we're going to get you out of here! Just focus on breathing, ok?"  
Logan could only give a pained nod, face buried in Roman's chest and hands over his ears, looking a little like an overtired child forced to stay too late at a family party. Just a few minutes, Virgil had said. He could manage that... He had to...  
Wait... He couldn't feel Roman running anymore. Why had they stopped? He knew they're weren't out because he could hear the other sides mumbling anxiously.   
He looked up and saw a black door with writing on it:

'ANSWER THE RIDDLE TO LEAVE

FAIL THREE TIMES AND BE TRAPPED

I can’t be seen, found, heard or smelled. I lie behind stars and under hills, I fill empty holes, come first and follow after. What am I?'  
Logan frowned curiously at the riddle, his brain determinedly trying to latch onto something that didn't look completely illogical, but he was still too overwhelmed...  
Roman spoke up.  
"Well we get three goes. I say we just guess."  
"No!" Virgil shouted, making Logan wince. "What if we get it wrong? We'll be trapped here!"  
"But we must try something! L-like... Umm - oh! Air!"  
"WRONG." A voice boomed. "TWO TRIES REMAIN."  
"See, I told you Roman! We need to think about this!"  
"But we don't have time to think! We need to get out of here!" Roman argued.   
Logan was still staring at the riddle. He was sure he had seen it before, but with all the shouting going on he couldn't remember anything. His head was throbbing and he closed his eyes again, trying to remember. The darkness was helping, he thought to himself. It was a change from all the... Wait. That was the answer, he remembered now! The dark! He opened his eyes and again and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.  
"The dark." He said, voice shaking silently.  
"CORRECT." Boomed the door as everyone sighed in relief. "YOU MAY PASS."  
Everyone sprinted out of the overly-bright room of chaos, stumbling blindly for a minute or so as their eyes readjusted to the dim darkness of the maze. Patton, Roman and Virgil wanted nothing more than to cheer for their saviour, but were smart enough to hold back for the minute until Logan was significantly less overstimulated...  
It took a couple of minutes for Logan to calm down fully, but when he did, he was immediately bombarded with hugs.   
"Logan!!! You did so well!"  
"I... Thank you. It was nothing, really, riddles and brain teasers are quite literally my specialty..." Logan tried his best to dismiss the praise, but it was obvious he was loving it...  
Roman sighed and ran his hands through his hair.  
"What do you guys say we try and settle down here for the night? We need sleep, and we can take turns at guard duty. I'll go first." The other sides agreed and laid down, trying to forget the events of the day and finally sleep.  
Of course, even as they rested, none of them could help but wonder... What next?


End file.
